Out and about in Valencia, again 3/14

I was trying to keep these stories in order, but best laid plans, etc. One of the many high points of my visit (and this trip has had many) was a visit to a Catholic seminary, The Royal College Seminary of Corpus Christi. Now, at first, I was a bit puzzled by it. The building itself is lovely and very old. You can read the history on their web site. They have an extensive art collection open to the public for a small fee. The inner courtyard has a statue of the saint who founded the school but an item in the art museum was the reason David brought me.

The courtyard of the seminary

As many of you know, I have written a science fiction book with references to the short 16th Century book Utopia by Thomas More. David was aware of this and guided me to a simple case at one side of the art gallery. There was the last book ever written by Thomas More, The Agony of Christ. He wrote it while a prisoner in the Tower of London prior to his beheading in 1535. His daughter was allowed to inherit it and gave it to a Spanish priest who passed it on to the seminary.

Safely sealed in a display box, More’s last manuscript.

I was surprised and pleased that David thought of me when he learned of this manuscript.

One of my first reactions about the manuscript was about More’s hand writing. He was writing with a quill pen, on unlined paper, yet the lines of text are remarkable straight.

Real Colegio Seminario de Corpus Christi (seminariocorpuschristi.org)

Thomas More — Wikipedia